Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Zitkala Sa
Katja
ENGL 48B
Journal # 31, Sa
13 March, 2007
"But I know my daughter must suffer keenly in this experiment. [...] Go, tell them that they may take my little daughter, and that the Great Spirit shall not fail to reward them according to their hearts." (Zitkala Ša 1019).
Zitkala Ša’s autobiography offers the reader some expected insights into Native American life and highlights some profound cultural differences.
As a child of about eight years of age, Ša is expected to make the decision whether to go east with the missionaries on her own. Her mother has advised her but the task is ultimately hers. Ša is even free to make a decision contrary to her mother’s advice. The goal would be to raise an independent and confident child capable of making pivotal decisions, setting goals and assuming personal responsibility. Whether this is a true measure of Native American culture or Ša’s mother is somewhat inconclusive, however one has to admire the character building of this parenting technique. It represents an almost utopian gesture of respect and trust from parent to child, certainly not something modern times witnesses very often.
Ša’s experience stands in stark contrast to the lives of today’s coddled youngsters who are unable to decide anything for themselves and who are being raised to be complete dependents of their parents. In some ways I think kids of single parents, like Ša, may have an advantage in terms of independence because there are no conflicting parental messages and a higher need for self-reliance.
The type of strong and stoic parent portrayed in Ša’s work makes for an unconventional role model. I was fascinated by the mother’s unwillingness to forgive her daughter’s missteps, a well as her unwillingness to cry in front of her daughter and her attachment to her own role models (the uncle). Yet she shows her daughter tremendous tenderness, and how to remain true to one’s own ideals.
ENGL 48B
Journal # 31, Sa
13 March, 2007
"But I know my daughter must suffer keenly in this experiment. [...] Go, tell them that they may take my little daughter, and that the Great Spirit shall not fail to reward them according to their hearts." (Zitkala Ša 1019).
Zitkala Ša’s autobiography offers the reader some expected insights into Native American life and highlights some profound cultural differences.
As a child of about eight years of age, Ša is expected to make the decision whether to go east with the missionaries on her own. Her mother has advised her but the task is ultimately hers. Ša is even free to make a decision contrary to her mother’s advice. The goal would be to raise an independent and confident child capable of making pivotal decisions, setting goals and assuming personal responsibility. Whether this is a true measure of Native American culture or Ša’s mother is somewhat inconclusive, however one has to admire the character building of this parenting technique. It represents an almost utopian gesture of respect and trust from parent to child, certainly not something modern times witnesses very often.
Ša’s experience stands in stark contrast to the lives of today’s coddled youngsters who are unable to decide anything for themselves and who are being raised to be complete dependents of their parents. In some ways I think kids of single parents, like Ša, may have an advantage in terms of independence because there are no conflicting parental messages and a higher need for self-reliance.
The type of strong and stoic parent portrayed in Ša’s work makes for an unconventional role model. I was fascinated by the mother’s unwillingness to forgive her daughter’s missteps, a well as her unwillingness to cry in front of her daughter and her attachment to her own role models (the uncle). Yet she shows her daughter tremendous tenderness, and how to remain true to one’s own ideals.
# posted by Katja @ 5:34 PM 
